heed. I went into the store area and bought three one-gallon bottles of water and a bar of soap. I wanted to be clean if I were going to be arrested.
While driving some more, I spotted a secluded pond. Parking the car under a tree, I took off my jacket and shoes, and jumped into the pond fully clothed. Walking dripping wet back out of the pond, I rubbed the clothes down with soap until I was covered with bubbles. I jumped back into the lake, came out and did the same again. This time I poured a gallon jug over my head, washing away all the soap; I peeled these clothes off and hung them on branches. I did the same with my underwear and socks and went skinny-dipping until my clothes dried, which didn’t take long. With the third jug of water and soap, I gave myself an outdoor shower. I didn’t see anybody, and I hoped nobody saw me. After the clothes were completely dry, I put them back on, hoping to look somewhat decent. I felt good and clean and ready to face whatever was to come my way.
It was getting closer to noon, and I was beginning to feel weak. I wasn’t really hungry, just worn out from thinking and planning and wanted to feel energetic again. I got in Miss Planter’s car and drove toward the city, spotting the golden arches from the highway. It would be good to go inside where there was air conditioning and have a sit-down meal. Maybe they were still serving pancakes; at least I could check.
No such luck; they quit serving breakfast at 11:00 a.m., so I settled for an order number one. The young lady waiting on me gave me a strange look, as though she had seen me before, but didn’t say anything. I took my meal tray and sat down in a clean booth near the television, enjoying the cool and cushioned-back seat in a controlled-environment, until I heard a small gasp. Turning to my right I saw a little girl looking my way and then again at the television above me. I looked up to see the TV with my picture on the screen. I hadn’t been paying any attention to the news, so it took a few moments for me to realize that I was being portrayed as an accessory in the murder of Cornelius Lovely and the theft of the Lovely family estate from Susan Lovely. If spotted, the general public was to immediately call the police. I looked back at the little girl, who was punching numbers into a pink cell phone; it was time to get out of there.
Trying to look calm, I left the dining area, taking my coke and hamburger, making no sudden moves while exiting the building, but as soon as I got outside began a dead run to Miss Planter’s car. While backing up out of the parking space, I could hear sirens from down the street and figured I’d have about five seconds before seeing any squad cars. I guessed I had about another minute before customers identified Miss Planter’s car to the police, so I didn’t have any time to waste. I had to get to the Lovely Chocolate Factory. I pulled out of the parking lot exit in the back as the police pulled in the parking lot entrance at the front; I disappeared into the neighborhood. Good thing I played on a lot of these streets as a kid.
I drove around the neighborhood, taking all the back roads I knew, making sure to take it nice and slow, and it was about 25 minutes later when I pulled into the Lovely Chocolate Company parking lot.
A security guard saw me walking toward the front door. He pulled his walkie-talkie from his belt and spoke into it but didn’t say or do anything to me. I continued walking, as though I belonged there, and made it to the entrance door. I probably should have parked closer but was hoping to keep the car from being noticed. I wondered if it mattered, now.
I looked at the clock on the wall. It was an old-time circular clock, which read 1:15. I was early and would have to sit around in the waiting room, under the eyes of the receptionists, secretaries, and executives who walked in and through the area. I grabbed a magazine and acted as though I was interested in an article, pulling it close